Social sustainability under threat: a case of two collapsed buildings in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

PurposeHousing provision and the neighbourhood's safety are significant social sustainability concerns. If structural issues are not well checked, housing provision and the neighbourhood's safety may become threatened, especially in Lagos State, Nigeria. Thus, this study aims to investigate the perceived root cause of collapsed buildings at the construction stage using two case studies, its effect on social sustainability aspects and suggested measures to mitigate future happening and enhance achieving social sustainability aspects goals.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers collected data from Nigeria's built environment experts and eyewitnesses/employees of selected cases of collapsed buildings. The study adopted a phenomenology type of qualitative research design and analysed collated data via thematic analysis and achieved saturation. The analysed data created three themes.FindingsResults reveal that inadequate heavy equipment and personnel incapacitated relevant government agencies are responsible for handling emergency and rescue during building projects collapse. Preliminary findings show developers' greed and systematic failures as the root cause of Nigeria's building project collapse (BPC). It categorised the root causes into three groups (developer's related-cause, design team related-cause and government entities related-cause). The study suggested measures to mitigate future happening. The emerged measures were grouped into a penalty, regulatory, byelaw act, technical and safety measures.Originality/valueThis study contributes to curbing the threat to social sustainability of housing provision in cities. It reveals the underlying perceived root cause of collapsed buildings in Nigeria's building industry. Also, it suggested feasible measures to mitigate BPC. These measures may be modified and adopted by other developing countries facing similar challenges.

Investigating the role of digitalisation in building collapse: stakeholders' perspective from unexplored approach

“…Yan and Kim (2018) affirmed that occurrence is frequent during construction. Boateng (2020) and Ebekozien et al . (2023a) asserted that several factors could influence building collapse.…”

“…After the initially localised let-down, they recommended a design with sufficient load rearrangement capacity. Studies (Alinaitwe and Ekolu, 2014; Moullier, 2015; Boateng, 2020; 2020; Okeke et al ., 2020; Braithwaite, 2021; Ebekozien et al ., 2023a) stated that building collapse is rampant in developing countries and majorly caused by human errors. Moullier (2015) avowed that the pattern of building collapse is more rampant in Kenya's urban locations, as reported by World Bank.…”

“…After the initially localised letdown, they recommended a design with sufficient load rearrangement capacity. Studies (Alinaitwe and Ekolu, 2014;Moullier, 2015;Boateng, 2020;2020;Okeke et al, 2020;Braithwaite, 2021;Ebekozien et al, 2023a) stated that building collapse is rampant in developing countries and…”

“…The construction industry is among the dangerous top industries with a history of casualties across the globe (Skinbniewski, 2014; Boateng, 2020; Ebekozien et al ., 2023a). Despite several efforts and measures to prevent or mitigate fatal construction site accidents, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) report shows that construction workers in developed countries have a three to four times higher probability of experiencing a fatal accident than workers in other sectors.…”

Automated Structural Health Monitoring System for Mitigating Building Collapse in Nigeria: A Mobile App Approach

“…In the same year, Ebekozien and colleagues delved into the "Social Sustainability of Building Failures in Lagos, Nigeria: A Structural Health Monitoring Perspective." Utilizing economic analysis and interviews, they aimed to assess the socioeconomic impact of building collapses in Nigeria and the potential contribution of structural health monitoring [7]. The results revealed significant economic and social consequences, but a research gap was identified: a limited understanding of how monitoring systems can effectively mitigate these consequences.…”